The island of Hawaiʻi—the largest and the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands—is home to a diverse range of cultures, species, ecosystems, climate zones, and shorelines. Its coastline is surprisingly long, comprising more than a third of the state’s total coastline. In fact, only eight states in the nation have coastlines longer than that of Hawaiʻi Island.
The Viewer provides map data showing projections of future hazard exposure while assessing different vulnerabilities due to rising sea levels. The tool's data on vulnerable areas and assets is found in the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report. The tool includes an interactive map that measures the exposure and vulnerability of the selected areas according to a certain increase in sea level.
This report provides the first state-wide assessment for Hawai'i documenting vulnerability to sea level rise. The report includes recommendations to reduce exposure and sensitivity to sea level rise and to increase capacity to adapt. It also provides recommendations based on emerging practices framed through extensive stakeholder consultations. It is considered a "living" report, and will be updated as further information is gathered. The framework of the report is intended to be used when facing other climate change threats affecting Hawai'i.
Communities in Hawai'i are highly vulnerable to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, seasonal high waves, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lava flows, and sea level rise. Since a changing climate is expected to worsen the effects of these natural hazards, planners and communities must work together to prepare for long term disastor recovery. The study developed statewide guidance documents and tools to improve community resilience to coastal hazards and sea level rise, thereby encouraging communities to focus on recovery practices before a disaster hits.
Ecosystems across the nation will be increasingly affected by a changing climate. Understanding and evaluating the climate change impacts that may impact a particular region or system is an important first step in adapting to climate change. This interactive map can help users explore how climate change may affect the region and ecosystems that they work within.
Find out what’s happening in your ocean area: Draw a custom area anywhere in U.S. waters or pick from a predefined list of locations to get instant custom reports. Reports include descriptive infographics and supporting data that can be used for offshore planning, permitting, environmental review, public relations, and more. New features allow printing by industry, sharing, and adding custom coordinates.
Report topics include:
This tool brings together real-time water levels, 48-hour forecasts of water levels, and historic flooding information into one online tool to help decision makers and coastal residents understand both short-term risks—such as an approaching hurricane or nor’easter—as well as longer-term risks, such as high-tide flooding and sea level rise. Boaters and fishermen can use the tool to get information on their latest local tides.
The Global Change Research Act of 1990 mandates that the U.S.
This suite of files provides an easy way to generate a two-page print document to help communicate local sea level rise scenarios and the related days of future high-tide or nuisance flooding. The templates draw data from NOAA Technical Report 083 Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States and NOAA Technical Report 086 Patterns and Projections of High Tide Flooding Along the U.S.
This site provides outlooks for sea levels over the next six months as well as analysis of sea levels over the past six months. The tool shows a discussion of current conditions, and lets users click tide gauge locations around the Pacific to view forecasts, tide charts, and potential impacts.
Users can subscribe to receive email updates from this tool. To subscribe, send an email to: sea-level-forecast-grp+subscribe@hawaii.edu.